Army program aims to field small UAV weighing less than 5 pounds
NewsApril 26, 2019
GAINESVILLE, Fla. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) officials selected Altavian for the Short Range Reconnaissance Prototype (SRR) contract as a part of the Army's effort to field a next generation unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) weighing less than 5 pounds flown by a single operator.
This program is the first of several Army multiyear efforts to refresh the UAV technology portfolio to better-protect soldiers through situational awareness capabilities. The SRR program is intended to augment the existing fleet of small UAVs currently deployed by the Army in short range and urban environments. This endeavor is being spearheaded by DIU, working with PEO Aviation, to speed prototype deployment and guide program development.
This is the second award for Altavian in small UAV in the past 13 months. In March 2018, Altavian won a competitive contract to provide products for the existing UAV fleet, including avionics, radios, ground controllers, and spare parts. Altavian is now simultaneously supporting legacy systems with a full capability set while developing for future programs of record.
This contract is scheduled to continue into 2020. Under DIU's guidance, in close coordination with PM UAV, the selected system has the potential to become the Army's newest UAV program of record; the first major competition for a new small UAV out of the UAV program since 2005.
